FOR TOPPING optional

Instructions

Add peanut butter and pitted dates to a food processor and pulse a few times to incorporate. Then add hemp seeds, chia seeds, and protein powder and pulse until all ingredients are well combined and a cookie dough-like texture forms (see photo).

If too wet, add more dry ingredients of choice, such as protein powder or hemp seeds. It too dry, moisten with a little more nut butter.

Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more protein powder of choice for flavor or more dates for sweetness (if adding more dates, chop first to encourage even blending). Mix again until well combined.

Line a standard loaf pan with parchment paper. Transfer mixture into the pan and spread with the back of a spoon, then use a flat-bottomed object (such as a drinking glass) to flatten into an evenly packed, flat layer.

Transfer to the freezer to chill for at least 10-15 minutes to help the mixture firm up. The longer it freezes, the firmer it will become.

Optional for topping: Melt dark chocolate and coconut oil in a double boiler on the stovetop, or in 20-second increments in the microwave, stirring occasionally to encourage melting. Then drizzle over the top of bars (see photo). Top with cacao nibs for added texture (also optional).

Once chilled, remove from freezer and cut into 12 even bars or squares.

We recommend storing these in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer up to 1 month (freezer is best!). They are enjoyable straight out of the refrigerator or freezer and tend to soften at room temperature.

Notes

*Photos above show mixture cut into 7 large protein bars. However, we recommend cutting into 12 bars or squares for a proper serving size / accurate nutrition information.*To swap out dates you could try subbing maple syrup to taste (~1 Tbsp (15 ml) per 2 large dates), just adjust dry ingredients of choice to compensate for altered texture.*The protein powder we used was Tropeaka Lean Vanilla Protein. Note: It does contain brown rice protein, soif you need to keep this recipe grain-free, ensure your protein powder is grain-free, such as Nuzest.*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with the lesser amount of protein powder and without optional ingredients.

This recipe was delicious! When my family made them, they hardly lasted a day (there i was, trying to save them for school lunches) I don’t think you could take only using 5 ingredients because the choc topping adds such a good touch.

I love your simple healthy recipes and typically all your recipes turn out as expected. I’m not sure what i did wrong on the protein bar recipe. They did not set up. Even after freezing, they quickly flattened out and “melted”.
Any thoughts?
I was able to “recreate” a new way to use the mixture… it makes an smoothy when added to unsweetened almond milk :)
Thanks for your help and have a great day! Loril

Thanks so much for the lovely review, Juliana. We are so glad you enjoyed them! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! xo

Just made these bars. Slightly modified- used almond butter, chocolate protein powder and no chocolate topping. Soooooo delicious! Made them strictly for after my workouts but they are calling my name from the freezer as we speak. Will definitely make again:)

This was great. I was looking for an alternative to perfect bars since they can be kinda pricey and this is it. I did have to add maple syrup and coconut oil not for sweetness but because my peanut butter was not that oily, and it turned out great. Definitely making it a staple and hopefully don’t have to but anymore protein bars.

I was excited about this recipe but it just didn’t work for me. I swapped the peanut butter for almond butter and added more protein powder to make it a little drier. I kept everything else the same. I kept it in the freezer for a few hours, and when I cut into it, it was so moist it couldn’t be cut. It had the consistency of a thick nut butter. The flavor was good, but rather than bars, the only way we could eat it was to spoon some into little bowls. I used natural almond butter so perhaps it was too oily for this type of recipe. My advice I guess would be to go on the much drier side with the protein powder than the recipe calls for.

Thanks for sharing your feedback. It sounds like your almond butter was super fresh and just needed a little more seeds or protein powder to help compensate on texture. Next time, just add more hemp seeds and protein powder to make it more of a cookie dough texture vs. nut butter.

Just finished making these and they’re very good! I used natural PB and my mixture came out very dry so I added a splash of almond milk to help it blend. I also found that the chocolate sauce was WAY more than I needed. Didn’t want it to go to waste so I basically covered the top layer of the bars with chocolate. They came out super sweet, so I may tone down the chocolate next time. Because of the richness, I cut them into 12 servings too.

I made these yesterday to have throughout the week – and these are SO good! And so incredibly eaaassssy. Just wow. I used Garden of Life Vanilla protein powder. I haven’t even drizzled chocolate or sprinkled cacao nibs over them yet, and they are already household approved. :o)

I actually popped these into mini muffin molds w/ parchment liners (because I was simultaneously making your vegan-GF banana bread in my bread pan!). I got 22, but it would have been an even 24 if I didn’t fill some of them up so high! haha Can’t wait to drizzle them over with dark chocolate – I’m thinking of these as a kind of take on protein-rich peanut butter cups.

Hi Dana,
These bars look divine! I have made several of your power ball recipes but love the change up with the bars!

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I made these and subbed about 1/6 cup coconut flour in lieu of protein powder. I probably could have gotten away with even a bit less since it’s so absorbent! I ended up adding 2 extra dates for added sweetness and moisture. I haven’t added the chocolate (yet) but I do think I will prefer it as it seems currently very chia-forward, which is sort of strange for the small quantity it calls for. Next time I think we will try some toasted sesame seeds instead of chia. :)

I’d say you could sub maple syrup for the dates, but you’ll likely need to adjust the amount of dry ingredients to compensate for texture. Alternatively, you could try subbing a lower glycemic dried fruit! Let us know if you give that a try.

I didn’t have enough vanilla protein powder so substituted with hemp protein powder plus tons of cinnamon for flavour. I also did it in my Vitamix and to my surprise it turned into a “cookie dough-like” texture easily. I think they still turned out great with the slight “PB-cinnamon flavour” in stead of “PB-vanilla”. It’s now in my freezer ready to be packed as my mid-day snack for the busy work week ahead!
Thanks for a continuous stream of easy and healthy recipes that inspires to action! :-)

Hopefully this is not rude but could I put in a request for some savory snack bars? I bring lunch to college and sweet things are abundant but sometimes I want something quick easy and savory. These bars look great btw and will definitely be trying these. Keep up the great work!

Hi, would love to make them. Just not sure about the protein powder. In the UK I can get the protein powder in a fitness or health shop, but it would mainly be a “wheat protein powder” or similar for fitness… Is that what you use?
Thanks,
Pia

Do you know what the weight of the dates would be? I have some dates that aren’t Medjool, and are a little bit smaller, so I’m trying to figure out how many I would end up needing. These look and sound delicious!